This photo of gold mine workers in the 1980s is part of the Hemlo gold donation to Brock.

There’s gold in them there hills, and entrepreneur David Bell is bringing evidence of it to Brock.

One of the founders of the world-class Hemlo gold mining site in northern Ontario, Bell and his wife, Brock alumna and geologist Angela Bell, have donated a number of core samples of ore mined from the camp to the University. They have also donated a number of documents – including photos, maps and reports – telling the story of the Hemlo deposit located about 350 kilometres east of Thunder Bay.

Hemlo made headlines in the early 1980s when it was part of the largest mineral development in Ontario since the 1960s. David Bell helped discover three mines north of Lake Superior. The mines – David Bell, Golden Giant and Williams – opened in 1985 and produced close to 30 tonnes annually. The David Bell and Williams mines are still in operation by Teck Cominco.

Donating the materials to Brock was a natural fit for the Bells, who live in St. Catharines.

“We wanted to have it available for aspiring young geologists,” David Bell said.

The materials will be a great teaching tool for the department, said Frank Fueten, professor and structural geologist in Brock’s Earth Sciences department.

“This will give our students a chance to access a significant piece of Ontario’s geological history,” he said.